When we’re diagnosed diabetic, we’re told to use medicine or other forms of insulin because our body isn’t producing enough (type 2) or can’t produce any insulin (type 1). We’re given charts to use because most human brains aren’t good at actively calculating carbohydrate intake and able to figure the safe and accurate amount of insulin to take. The human body does it best. Now our bodies have gone on strike. Reality is that the closer you are to balancing your blood sugar, the more often you may have hypoglycemic events.
You’re diabetic; and your body is having some difficulty with insulin. The insulin hormone processes the glucose from the food you eat. It feeds not only the muscles in the body, but also the brain. The brain fog from not having enough nutrients for the brain is real, but it isn’t why you can’t easily calculate the required insulin dosage for a meal.
The actual problem is the pancreas. The pancreas is where the insulin is produced. The pancreas is also the organ that reads the amount of glucose in your blood. It also uses this information to decide how much insulin to produce to process that glucose.
I went to a high school football game this past Friday. We were packed in like sardines because it’s state playoff time. I carry a big bag full of snacks and blankets. When my blood sugar started to fall, I reached in and grabbed a healthy snack option. While I was doing this, I bumped into another person. The lady was kind about being jostled; and my boyfriend commented about my blood sugar being low. I ate a serving of dark chocolate covered almonds and a serving of black bean Sun Chips to raise it. Thirty minutes later, a second blood sugar reading revealed it was still dropping, so I repeated the process. When we were leaving, she commented you need to take better care of yourself.
My blood sugar had been between 100 mg/dL to 180 mg/dL all day. I exercised, and it fell to 57 mg/dL with an arrow pointing at a 45° angle down. This is dangerous and has to be raised immediately. Food is the best medicine (not insulin!); but getting the correct amount of carbs and sugar into the body is the challenge. The problem that people don’t understand is that the closer you get to having excellent blood sugar, the more likely you will see scary lows.
Another event I heard about happened to another diabetic. This young teenager is very susceptible to extreme brain fog when her blood sugar drops. Her friends know she’s diabetic. They just don’t understand it. When she became very unresponsive, they wanted to give her an injection. Thank God another teenager knew about diabetes and was there to stop them.
The thought of someone that doesn't understand diabetes giving insulin to a diabetic is terrifying. Unless you have been trained, do not try to administer insulin. The reason for this is that you do not know each individual diabetic's insulin dosage. You could over dose them on too much insulin that drops their blood sugar way to low, leading to a coma, and end up killing them.
Source: "Insulin: What Is It, How Do You Take It, Side Effects"
Cleveland Clinic 03/07/2022
"Diabetic Treatment: Using Insulin to Manage Blood Sugar"
Mayo Clinic 08/07/2021
Thank goodness our teen hero knew to feed her some food to bring her blood sugar up. Something like this week’s pumpkin parfait is a great treat to increase blood sugar without spiking it (making the blood sugar surge over 200 mg/dL). It also works well for a Thanksgiving dessert for your diabetic family member. It looks great served in a decorative wine glass.
Pumpkin Parfait - Makes 2 Servings
Ingredients:
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup of pumpkin purée
4 tablespoons whipped cream cheese
4 teaspoons sugar-free maple syrup
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
4 tablespoons whip cream sugar free
Directions:
Mix the almond flour, almond butter, and pumpkin spice in a small bowl.
Mix the cream cheese, pumpkin purée, maple syrup and pumpkin spice in a separate small bowl.
In the decorative glasses, layer the almond butter mixture on the bottom, add the pumpkin mix in the middle, and top with whipped cream.
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
A diabetic body doesn't know the best amount of insulin to release anymore. Being more educated about what we eat can help reduce the stress of high blood sugar on every organ and the circulatory system. Almond flour and almond butter are proteins that help slow down the absorption of glucose in the blood stream. The pumpkin purée is low in sugar. Whip cream and cream cheese are dairy that will also aid in preventing a blood sugar spike and preventing the need to inject even more insulin into the body post a Thanksgiving feast.
Please let me know if this week's recipe makes it into your holiday favorites list. Our diet can play a significant role in undermining our hard work. I'll keep working on the recipes to prevent this. If you have a favorite dish, please tell me. I'll create a diabetic friendly version, just let me know by leaving a note below. I've learned how to swap blood sugar spiking ingredients for others with a lower glycemic index. It may take a week or two, but I love the challenge. I'll also work on introducing more recipes to help lower the ceramides in the body. Please comment, like, share, and come back next week for more recipes, ideas, and tips. Subscribe to the website, if you would like weekly email reminders to add more recipes to your recipe book.
Disclaimer: This is not medical advice, but a compilation of research from medical sites. Make sure to see your doctor and have up-to-date lab work.